Artificial intelligence: transparency and governance

The law preserves government participation channels for people and legally recognized entities rather than automated systems. It also prohibits knowingly using AI to falsely claim a real person engaged with a government agency.

What the law does ​

• Excludes AI systems, autonomous agents, robots, and other nonhuman entities from terms such as “person,” “interested person,” “participant,” and “member of the public” under specified state and local government transparency and administrative laws.
• Allows public agencies, state bodies, local agencies, the Legislature’s rules committees, and the Office of Administrative Hearings to use qualifying tools to detect whether AI is present.
• Permits people to use AI, robots, or assistive technology to help engage with government when the volume and frequency are reasonably consistent with ordinary human participation.
• Prohibits knowingly using AI to falsely represent that a natural person appeared before, submitted information to, or otherwise engaged with a government agency.

Who it affects ​

• People and organizations seeking records, commenting on government actions, participating in public meetings, or appearing in specified administrative processes.
• State and local government bodies administering public-records, open-meeting, rulemaking, administrative-hearing, environmental-review, and coastal-development processes.
• Developers and users of AI systems, autonomous agents, and robots used to interact with government.

Context ​

The law applies these limits to the California Public Records Act, open-meeting laws, legislative records access, administrative procedures, CEQA, and the California Coastal Act.